


Finding Faith

by JediMara77



Series: Del Meeko [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Battlefront II
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 21:59:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13257453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JediMara77/pseuds/JediMara77
Summary: In search for answers about the Force, Del Meeko accompanies Luke Skywalker on a mission to Devaron.





	Finding Faith

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers/connections for The Weapon of a Jedi, Shattered Empire, Battlefront II

Del fidgeted as he watched the Jedi Knight prepping the Lambda shuttle across the hangar. He had already received permission from both Leia and Iden to approach Luke about accompanying him on his latest mission. Things with Inferno Squad were quiet at the moment, a rare occurrence, and Del needed to find closure to the events on Pillio. His journey to the Rebellion had started with Luke Skywalker, and he felt a calling to journey with Luke again. Why, he didn't understand. He supposed it had something to do with the blasted Force. 

As Del approached, Luke turned and acknowledged him. Whether Luke had sensed Del's presence or simply heard his footsteps, Del didn't care to guess. Luke wore a similar black outfit to the one he wore on Pillio, his signature lightsaber clasped to his belt. Although he was younger than Del by several years, the lines around his eyes had deepened over the past several months. Part of the burden of being the sole Jedi in the galaxy, Del supposed. 

"Del. It's good to see you again." Luke did not seem surprised by Del's presence in the Rebellion.  _ No _ , the New Republic, he reminded himself. But that wasn't the work of the Force; Leia had promised to speak to Luke about Del accompanying him on his travels. Still, Del wondered if Luke had sensed anything of his future when they'd parted ways on Pillio. 

"The same goes for you," Del said. Belatedly, he realized he had no idea how to address the Jedi. In the end, he defaulted to military protocol and added, "Commander Skywalker." 

"Just Luke, please. I resigned my military commission. There's no need to call me Commander--or ma'am," Luke added with a teasing smile. 

"Oh. Right." Del felt his cheeks warm. He'd made several friends since joining the New Republic, like Shriv--well, he supposed Shriv was his friend--and his relationship with Iden had evolved into something more informal than it had ever been in the Empire, but Luke looked at him in a way nobody had ever looked at him before. Was it because of the Force? Because Luke was simply good at reading people? Del felt almost naked in front of him. To his surprise, he didn't mind the sensation. 

"Leia said something about you wanting to join me on my travels?" 

"Yes," Del said. "I, um...hoped to find some answers." 

Luke cocked his head. "To what questions?"

"I'm not sure yet." 

Luke glanced up the ramp to the shuttle, then looked back at Del. "These shuttles are hard to fly with only one person, and it'll be nice to have company. Come on." He gestured for Del to follow him.

Once on the shuttle, Del stopped in the middle of the cargo area behind the cockpit. "What is that?" he said, pointing at a potted tree that looked like it was leaning against the bulkhead. 

"It's a tree," Luke said matter-of-factly.

"I see that," Del said, trying not to sound flustered. He was the one imposing on Luke, after all. "Is that...is that your mission?"

"It is. It was originally part of a great tree that grew in the Jedi temple on Coruscant. Not that long ago another pilot helped me rescue it, and a second tree, from an Imperial laboratory. I gave her one of them to plant near her new home on Yavin 4, to watch it grow and keep it safe. But I have another idea for where to take this one." Luke grinned. "Still care to join me?" 

"Help you plant a tree?" Del shrugged and followed Luke into the cockpit, letting the other man take the pilot's seat. "Should be the easiest mission I've ever undertaken."

Luke laughed. "We'll see about that."

Del glanced sharply at Luke. He didn't know whether to take that as a warning or a promise. Luke was still laughing, though, so Del supposed he shouldn't fear for his life. He leaned back in his chair, trying to relax as Luke maneuvered the shuttle out of the hangar and prepared to jump to hyperspace. It proved difficult, as his heart wouldn't stop racing...and he couldn't stop staring at Luke. But he co-piloted to the best of his ability. Del always prided himself on his ability to get the job done, no matter what he was feeling. 

A few minutes after they jumped to hyperspace, Luke clasped his hands on his lap and said, "Tell me about yourself, Del. We fought together on Pillio and I don't know anything about your background, or where you come from." 

"What do you want to know? I'm not that interesting."

"On the contrary, I think you're very interesting. Why else do you think I let you come with me on this mission?" 

"Because you didn't want to dig a hole by yourself," Del said. "And because you couldn't resist my handsome face," he added, hoping to ease some of the tension.

Instead, Luke wet his lips. "You're not entirely wrong." 

Del felt his cheeks warm. He didn't know how to respond to that, so he continued to ignore his feelings and answered Luke's other question instead. "You know I grew up on Coruscant. Attended the Imperial academy. Worked my way up the ranks in the Empire until Admiral Versio recruited me for Inferno Squad. Now, I serve the New Republic."

"That's a list of facts, Del. It doesn't tell me anything about  _ you _ . Your likes and dislikes, hopes and fears. What you want out of the galaxy. What you want to put into it." 

Del snorted. "If I knew the answers to those questions, I wouldn't be here with you." 

"I see," Luke said. "I guess I can't fault you, though. I still wonder what I'm doing half of the time." 

"You?" Del scoffed. "You're a Jedi. You know exactly what your purpose is in life." 

"Yeah." Luke's voice was tinged with sadness. "That's the problem." He looked back at Del, his demeanor changed in an instant. "I'm not sure if horticulture is going to change your life, but you helped me on Pillio. The least I could do is repay the favor." 

Del wanted to protest that he hadn't done anything of value on Pillio. It had been Luke who had saved Del's life and changed his worldview, for the better. Perhaps he didn't know as much about Luke Skywalker as he thought he did. "I like technology," Del said after a long moment. "I worked as an engineer in the Empire. I like fixing things, and taking them apart. I work on Commander Versio's droid a lot."

"That makes sense, considering how well you sliced into those terminals on Pillio. I love to tinker, as well. That's something we have in common." 

Del felt himself blush, again. He was up to a record number of awkward moments and the mission had barely started. This was not boding well. "I don't know my hopes for the future, other than wanting to see the Empire defeated for good. But not because I hate the people who serve it. Because I want the galaxy to be better." 

"That's another thing we can agree on." Luke turned back to the flight controls. When he was satisfied that everything was running smoothly, he settled into his chair and closed his eyes. "I'm going to get some rest. I suggest you do the same."

The hair on Del's neck stood on end. "Why? What do you expect to find at our destination?" 

"I don't know. But I find it helpful to be prepared for anything. Who knows. We might find someone else wanting to defect from the Empire." 

Once again, Del could not find a response. He closed his eyes, trying--and failing--to rest.

#

They emerged from hyperspace near the planet Devaron. Del helped Luke pilot the shuttle to the planet's surface, landing near a small town called Tikaroo. He made his way into town while Del remained on the shuttle, keeping watch on the tree and feeling like an idiot. Luke could have brought his astromech along to babysit shrubbery. But Luke wasn't long in returning, and soon the shuttle lifted off again, heading into the forest.

"What was that about?" Del said.

"I've been here before," Luke answered. "Wanted to say hello to an old friend before heading to the temple. She wasn't around, unfortunately. I'll have to pay another visit to her soon. That'll give me a chance to check on the tree. I know she'll take good care of it in the meantime." 

"Ah." Del furrowed his brow. "Temple, did you say?"

Luke pointed at the stone structure in the distance. "The Temple of Eedit. I visited it about four years ago, not long after the Battle of Yavin. It's an old Jedi temple."

"I thought the Jedi Temple was on Coruscant," Del said.

"That was  _ the _ temple, where those trees came from. There are many other temples throughout the galaxy, in places strong with the Force. I trained here, learned a lot about myself, even fought a scavenger. And before I left, I promised to return one day. I figured it's as good a place as any to plant this tree." 

"I see," Del said, even though he didn't understand at all. He was beginning to question why he'd come along at all. Who was he to interfere in matters of the Force? Just because Luke Skywalker gave him a chance, didn't mean he had some grand destiny. "You didn't really need my help on this mission, did you?"

"Like I said, it's hard to pilot these shuttles alone. And there's still an Imperial presence on the planet. I wanted to have backup in case something bad happened. I couldn't think of anyone better to accompany me than you." Luke glanced at him and smiled.

"Is that flirting? Do Jedi even flirt?" 

"They do now. We're coming in for a landing."

Del was momentarily thrown by Luke's change of subject, not to mention what he'd said beforehand, but he got a hold of himself and helped set down the shuttle a hundred or so meters from the temple. 

Luke undid his restraints. "Now comes the fun part. We have to find the best place to plant a tree."

"How do you suppose we do that? With another key?"

"Something like that. And keep an eye out for any Imperials, okay?" 

"Sounds like a grand time." Figuring he might as well make himself useful, Del followed Luke inside the temple, cradling the tree in his arms like a child. He wondered if he should be able to sense something from the tree, but it felt just like any other he'd encountered throughout his life. Not that he'd seen many trees as a boy growing up on Coruscant. 

Luke kept his eyes closed as he wandered through the temple, holding a small shovel in his left hand. Del didn't have to ask him what he was doing. He simply followed, feeling like an idiot, until Luke abruptly stopped and Del nearly crashed into him.

"Here," Luke said. "Here is where we'll plant the tree." 

Del looked down. "But the ground is concrete."  

"It's a good thing you're strong, then," Luke said. "And that I have one of these." He held up his lightsaber. 

Del rolled his eyes and took the shovel from Luke. Between Luke's lightsaber and Del's shovel, they made quick work of digging a hole and planting the tree. It looked insignificant within the vastness of the temple, but Del supposed it would grow in time. He wondered if he'd someday return to see it. 

Luke patted down the dirt, brushed off his hands, and rose to a standing position. "And that's that," he said. "Now we just have to trust that nature, and the Force, will do the rest of the work." 

"Here's hoping," Del said, glancing back at the tiny tree that meant to so much to Luke.

It was almost anticlimactic, Del thought as they emerged from the temple. He didn't know what he expected to happen upon planting the tree. Some voice from the sky telling him what he should do next? Luke taking him in his arms and thanking him for his help? Del scoffed. Both ridiculous thoughts. But either of them would have made this trip seem worthwhile. 

They were halfway to the shuttle when Del stopped, his head snapping up, instantly alert. He might not have the Force, but he was a trained special forces soldier, and he knew when things were about to go bad. 

"Watch out!" Del yelled, but Luke was already on the defensive. He whirled around, dropping to the ground to evade blaster bolts flying their direction, while attempting to shove Del out of the way. 

Del groaned as he hit the ground. This had to be his punishment for thinking things anticlimactic. He slid his rifle out of his holster, grateful he had brought it along. "I thought this was supposed to be an easy mission! Planting trees, you know!"

"Things never go easy when I'm involved." 

"Someone should have warned me of that," Del snapped. 

"I told you there was an Imperial presence on the planet!"

"Yeah, after we landed!" Del readied his rifle. "You watch my back, and I'll watch yours?" 

Luke ignited his lightsaber. He looked almost happy to be fighting again. "Just like old times." 

#

It was only a small stormtrooper squad sent to investigate the appearance of a stolen shuttle. They should have assumed only one Rebel would want to visit an old Jedi temple, and sent reinforcements, but the Empire's error became Luke and Del's advantage. Luke blocked the blaster bolts easily, while Del disposed of the stormtroopers. He noted that unlike on Pillio, Luke didn't kill any of them. Was that a personal preference, or because Del was there to take care of them himself? 

Once back on the shuttle, Luke fired up the engines. Del stayed at the ramp entrance, fighting off the remaining stormtroopers with his rifle, hoping they didn't have enough time to bring out their big guns. To his relief, it took less than thirty seconds for Luke to call out to him, "Ready to take off!" 

Del picked off the last stormtrooper, smacked the ramp controls, sprinted to the cockpit, and strapped in. He worked on the navicomputer while Luke flew the shuttle like it was a starfighter. Add piloting to one more skill Luke Skywalker excelled at, right next to using the Force and inspiring the best in people. The coordinates back to base came up quickly, and Luke jumped to hyperspace without Del having to say a word. 

Luke leaned back and wiped his brow. "That was nervewracking." 

Del frowned. "You didn't seem nervous at all." 

"That doesn't mean I wasn't." Luke grabbed a canteen from the shuttle's storage bin above his chair, took a long sip of water, and handed the rest to Del. "It's a good thing we work so well together, huh?"

"Yeah." Del accepted the canteen gratefully, shivering as his fingers grazed against Luke's. "Although no offense, I would prefer not to get ambushed with you again." 

"The feeling is mutual, Del. I just hope the Empire doesn't find the tree."

Del frowned. "Do you want to go back?" 

Luke shook his head. "They'll be more interested in trying to lay a trap for me. I'll have to be careful next time I come here. Perhaps you should come with me again."

"Yeah," Del murmured. "Maybe." He drank as much water as he could without making himself sick, trying to ignore his conflicting maelstrom of emotions, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He gave the canteen back to Luke, acutely aware the Jedi was scrutinizing him, like he could see into Del's very soul. 

Del was ready to tell Luke to stop staring, or to leave the cockpit all together. Luke beat him to the punch, and blurted out, "Why did you ask to come with me on this mission?"

"You know why," Del shot back. In the midst of coming down from an adrenaline high was not the mindset Del wanted to be in while having this conversation. 

Luke shook his head, unable to be dissuaded. "I'm not a mindreader. I hope I never become one. Please,tell me."

Del paused. Luke deserved an answer, but Del was still ashamed of the things he had done in the Empire. He was embarrassed by his conflicted feelings. He wanted to go back to following orders without question, and yet he never wanted to be that person again. He wanted to know why he was so drawn to Luke when he wanted more than anything in the galaxy to be with Iden. "I can't stop thinking about what happened on Pillio," Del finally said. "Since then I've found myself..." He trailed off, not knowing how to describe it. "...Attracted to you," he settled on.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "I have to say, I'm flattered."

"I don't mean like that," Del said quickly. "Okay, maybe a little bit." He waved his hand, flustered. He had served in the most prestigious special forces team in the Empire and the unassuming Jedi in front of him was threatening to undo him. "You gave me a choice on Pillio I never had before--to be better. And it wasn't out of judgment, but rather out of faith in something you saw in me. You, the legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker." 

"I'm not a legend, Del. I'm just a man who challenges himself to be better every day."

"Doesn't matter. I keep wondering whether I'm worthy of your trust. I know right now I need to fight the Empire. But once the war is over, I wonder if there's something more I should be doing. If that's why you gave me a chance."

"You think you belong with me and the Jedi?"

"I don't know anymore." Del could barely look Luke in the eye. He hadn't expected this mission to give him even more questions. "For so long I believed the Jedi were evil, that the Force was unnatural. But now I feel pulled to you, to the Force. Without you, I don't know if I would have felt inspired to fight for something better. To  _ be _ better."

"I'm not sure about that. Commander Versio is pretty convincing."

Del was taken aback. "You know Iden?" 

"We met once. And I've heard stories about Inferno Squad from Leia."

"What kind of stories?"

"Stories that made me realize you're emotionally unavailable," Luke said with a regretful smile. "Not that I wouldn't be able to figure that out myself. You don't have to decide between your feelings for Iden and your feelings about the Force, you know." 

"But you resigned your military commission. You're flying around the galaxy learning more about the Jedi. How am I supposed to help you if I'm..." Del swallowed the rest of his sentence. He couldn't presume anything about Iden's feelings for him. For all he knew, she thought of him as a friend, nothing more. "If I'm distracted by friends and family?" he said instead.

Luke placed his hand on top of Del's. "First of all, friends and family are what make us who we are. The Empire wanted to stamp that out. So did the old Jedi. I have no intention of following that path. Second, there are ways to serve the Force without being a Jedi. Without being Force sensitive at all. I've met many people in my travels who have fought to preserve the history of the Jedi, or who follow the Force in different ways. These traditions are all important to the galaxy. They're important to figuring out who you are, and who you want to be." 

"I understand," Del said. "I think." 

"When the war is over, you can come with me. I can introduce you to some people. In the meantime, I can give you this." Luke handed him a datachip. "This is information about various groups devoted to serving the Force. I think this might help you."

Del accepted the datachip gratefully. Somehow, his spirit already felt lighter. He could continue fighting the Empire, could remain with the New Republic when the war was over, and still follow the Force. And maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to tell Iden how he felt. There was no point in hiding any longer, about anything. "Thank you," he said quietly. 

"You're welcome," Luke said. He squeezed Del's hand, allowed it to linger for a moment, then turned back from the controls.  

#

The shuttle landed in the hangar with a gentle thud. Del breathed a sigh of relief at being home again.  _ Home _ . He wondered when the hell he'd started to think of the New Republic as his home. Probably when he officially switched sides with Iden. 

_ Iden _ . He couldn't wait to see her again. He supposed that cleared up some of his feelings about Luke. Still, Luke was a good man. Del wasn't ashamed of how he felt, or anything that had happened between them. Quite the opposite, actually. 

Del followed Luke down the shuttle's ramp. When he reached the ground, Luke turned around and stuck out his hand. "I'm glad we were brought together again, Del," Luke said. "I trust I'll see you again very soon."

"I hope so," Del said, accepting Luke's handshake. "I'm sure you'll need backup again sometime." The other man's hand felt warm and firm, like a true friend. Del didn't need the Force to sense that. "May the Force be with you." 

Luke grinned. "Always." 

Del watched Luke disappear across the hangar. But unlike the last time Luke Skywalker walked away from him, Del did not feel confusion or uncertainty, or even loneliness. He had gone on this mission with Luke to find answers. To his surprise, he had found faith instead.


End file.
